Aftermath of Mr Scratch
by sophk
Summary: ..."It was so clear, I saw the team, heard Morgan yelling for me, then Reid being shot. Blood splashed against the door." It is a followup to 10x21 "Mr. Scratch".
1. Chapter 1

**Aftermath**

_"You may not control all the events that happen to you, _

_but you can decide not to be reduced by them."_

_― __Maya Angelou_

On the drive back to Quantico, Hotch had remained silent. He is still trying to sort out what just happened to him. Rossi was worried about what his friend had been through. He had never seen that much terror in Hotch's eyes.

As they walked back into the BAU, Hotch noticed someone in his office. Sam stepped out and smiled at him. He ran up the stairs and tightly wrapped his arms around her and started to cry. "It was horrible, I was terrified." He murmured softly.

"You are safe, everyone is safe." Sam said holding him tightly. Sam is a Psychologist and a former CIA agent; she and Aaron have been in a relationship for almost a year.

They walked in his office and closed the door.

Reid had called Sam before they left the crime scene and explained what had happened. In her time with the CIA, she had seen drugs being used for mind control. He thought if anyone could help Hotch work through the events of the evening, it was Sam.

Hotch and Sam, sat on the sofa in his office. He leaned forward with his head in his hands. "As I walked through the door, the doctor cut her throat; I couldn't save her. I tried to fight the effects, but he sprayed more on me." He winced. "It was so clear, I saw the team, heard Morgan yelling for me, then Reid being shot. I saw the blood splashed against the door. So much blood." He started to panic.

Sam moved to a chair across from him took his hands in hers and stared into his eyes. "Aaron, none of that actually happened." She stated slowly and with authority. The doctor was killed before you arrived. He inserted the images of the doctor and the team being killed in to your memory."

Aaron sat back against the sofa, "He shot them all, and the team was dead. I believed he had killed them all." He took a deep breath. "After, I realized it wasn't real, I saw the car lights shine through the window, heard the car doors slamming. They were here, now, alive. He threw my gun on the floor and said _he_ was coming through that door and I needed to shoot _him_ to protect the team. I knew he was trying to control me; I was trying to resist the power he had over me. As everyone was rushing in, I grabbed the gun, turned and fired at him. At least I think that is what happened." He placed his head on her shoulder. She kissed the top of his head and cradled him in her arms. "Then I handed Dave my gun." He whispered.

"You did resist him. The dedication and love for the team surpassed the power he had over your mind. You were and are stronger than him." She explained. "Your desire to save the team was stronger than the control he had over you. That was what happened with the father killing himself rather than his son. A Father's love for his son triumphed over the control this man had on him. He fought against him and won."

"Could what he did to me have lasting effects?" He questioned looking very anxious.

"Maybe, until we find out more about what he did I don't have an answer for that question. But, you are strong and we have the knowledge of how these drugs work. It is much easier to leave a memory imprint on an undeveloped or child's brain, than it is on a strong healthy one. You will have some things to work through, but I'm here for you and so is the team." Sam smiled placing her palm on the side of his face. He tried to smiled and nodded.

"All of his victims had violence in their childhood, so did I." Aaron remembered.

"That's true, but you have dealt with that. More memories could surface; we will have to work through them. Doesn't matter if they are real or planted memories." Sam assured him.

"I'm scared." He admitted. "But, I know the only way he can hurt me is it I allow him to control my thoughts." He stood up. "I have a couple of things to take care of before we go home. Are you going to wait on me? Where's Jack?" He smiled.

She kissed him, "I dropped Jack off at Jessica's for the night. Take your time; I will be downstairs. I love you." Sam knew he needed a little time by himself to process the day and collect his thoughts.

"And, I love you." He said as tears formed in his eyes. They shared a kiss.

She walked into the conference room where the rest of the team had gathered. Dave walked over and hugged her.

Sam took a deep breathe, "He will be fine, may take a while for the drugs to leave his system. And a little longer for him to completely understand everything that happened." Everyone sighs with relief. "So, you all should go home and get some rest. That is what we are going to do." She advised.

"You heard the doctor, go home. This day is done." Rossi ordered the team. They head back to their desks. Dave remained in the conference room with Sam. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Just so much harder when it happens to someone you love. Did the medic draw blood at the scene? What do we know about Lewis?" Sam inquired.

"Not much. A lot of it is classified. They did draw blood." Rossi replied. "We will send you the results as soon as we receive them." He picked up his tablet, "And I just sent you all NSA files we have on him. I'm sure you can find out more. What's your plan?"

"Yeah, I will call some friends tomorrow. My plan, I'm going to interview the bastard. Don't know how, but I will. I going to have to call in some favors, but I will get to him." She declared. "Aaron can't know about it. Not until he fully recovers."

"Understood. Anything you need kiddo, let me know." Dave nodded.

Hotch walked down the steps looking more calm and confident. "Ready, to go home." He said smiling at Sam. She nodded. "Go home, Dave. Thank you for everything." He smiled and hugged his friend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Epilogue**

**A Week Later. . .**

Aaron is reclining on the sofa watching a baseball game as Sam walked in, "Hi honey." He yelled.

"Hello." She kissed him. "What time did the Hartwell's pickup Jack?"

"Around 6:30, he said goodnight and he loves you; we need to pick him up around 10:30 in the morning. How was the interview you conducted today?" he asked.

"Let me change my clothes, get some wine and I will tell you about it." She uttered.

She returned, took a seat next to him in the corner of the sectional sofa. Sam crossed her legs and faced him. He curled his fingers around her toes, "Long day?" He kissed her. "You look tired." He said as he moved a strand of hair out of her eye.

She took a sip of wine; "Yeah, very long day. I interviewed Peter Lewis today." She divulged.

"You did what? Why didn't you tell me?" He asked with controlled rage in his voice. He turned and faced her. "You shouldn't have done that by yourself, he is dangerous."

"I wasn't by myself, other special ops were watching. Aaron, he is just a man, he has no special powers without his drugs." She assured him and stared into his eyes. "I needed to do it. We needed answers and I got them." Sam defended strongly.

"What did he tell you?" He asked wondering if he wanted to know.

"What he did to you shouldn't have any lasting effects. The combination of drugs made you susceptible to that he was telling you. Lewis planted the events in your memory. You believed and reacted to his suggestions because of the drugs. You may have flashbacks of the memories; if you do we will work through them. But unlike his others victims, you do not have trigger to cause the memories reoccur. They had a shared experience, the therapy in their childhoods using hypnosis. So he could use the burning of sage as a trigger to make the memories of a monster reappear; and then use the drugs to take control of their minds and actions." She explained.

"How did you get him to disclose what he had done? And do you believe him?" Aaron questioned.

"I played his game. He isn't the only one that can use a combination of drugs for mind control; the military has been doing it for years. Not the way I usually conduct interviews, but it is very efficient." She smirked.

"What do they want from you in return?" Knowing that this _Special Unit_ would never allowed the interview without expecting something in return. "Do we get to keep our first born?" He teased.

"Some day, I will be called upon to do a service for them." She teased misquoting a line from the _Godfather_. "At this point, I don't know what the payback will be. But, it was worth it, we, you had to have answers." She smiled, "Don't worry, I would negotiate to keep our first born."

Aaron laughed and took her hand, "You should have told me. But, thank you. It does make me feel better to know." He leaned forward and kissed her.

"You may have memories of that day, just tell me about them. I'm here for you and I love you." She reminded him.

"I love you, I was just afraid something could trigger a violent reaction." He smiled. "The thought of hurting someone I love terrified me."

"That isn't likely, but just in case, on Thanksgiving this year we won't be using sage in our stuffing." Sam joked.

"Really funny, Sam. Really funny." Aaron pulled her onto his lap. "I love you."


End file.
